Mendocino County is on the road to a cleaner and more sustainable future with the installation of 13 new electric vehicle charging stations along the coast and in Willits.

Thanks to a $498,040 grant from the California Energy Commission awarded to Mendocino Land Trust in 2014, a string of new electric vehicle charging stations in Mendocino County are up and running, with the final station completed in Willits in mid-July.

A ribbon cutting celebration will be held in Willits, 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 17, at the city parking lot at West Mendocino Avenue and School Street, hosted by the Willits Chamber of Commerce, Mendocino Council of Governments and Mendocino Land Trust.

To bring these charging stations to the public, Mendocino Land Trust worked under the grant from the California Energy Commission in partnership with California State Parks and MCOG.

MCOG contributed $34,500 in supplemental funds and ongoing staff support from the grant proposal through project completion. In-kind matching assistance was provided by Visit Mendocino County, and matching funds were also provided by the Tarbell Family Foundation, Clipper Creek, Group II Commercial Real Estate and Harvest Market.

The project culminated in an electric byway that provides incentive for visitors and locals alike to use plug-in hybrid-electric and all-electric vehicles.

Every year, thousands of tourists hit the road in search of adventure in the sweeping landscapes of Mendocino County. Many drive for hundreds of miles in hope of reconnecting with the wild places of Northern California, which is why Mendocino Land Trust and its partners decided to spearhead this effort to build this series of new electric vehicle charging stations in Mendocino County, 10 of which are placed within or very close to state parks.

Locations

Until the end of December you can charge your car for free while you are outside exploring one of the beautiful trails at these parks: Westport Union Landing State Beach, MacKerricher State Park, Point Cabrillo Light Station State Historic Park, Russian Gulch State Park, Van Damme State Park, Greenwood State Beach, and Hendy Woods State Park.

If you are closer to town activities, or for a stop on the way, you will find new chargers conveniently located at:

• City of Fort Bragg’s City Hall parking lot

• City of Fort Bragg’s Laurel Street parking lot

• Fort Bragg’s Boatyard Shopping Center

• Caspar Community Center

• City of Point Arena’s downtown public parking lot

• City of Willits’ downtown parking at School Street and West Mendocino Avenue.

Collaboration

“We are proud to be providing a part of the solution to climate change in Mendocino County,” says Doug Kern, director of conservation at Mendocino Land Trust. “Building the infrastructure to reduce fossil fuels usage is an important step in keeping our water and air free of pollutants.”

“It’s been a pleasure working with the Land Trust’s dedicated staff on this vital project,” added Janet Orth, MCOG deputy director. “These installations are fulfilling several recommended public charging sites in our Mendocino County Zero Emission Vehicle Regional Readiness Plan along with the park locations.”

California State Parks is responding to the increasing challenges of climate change with the installation of EV charging stations as part of their “Cool Parks” initiative. Facilitating the expansion and use of plug-in cars not only encourages their use by environmentally conscious visitors, but also allows the general public to see this futuristic technology in action.

“This is a fantastic program for visitors to our coast to charge their electric vehicles while they adventure in our beautiful parks,” says Loren Rex, Mendocino sector superintendent. “We’re thrilled the charging stations are all in and excited to see them being used regularly. Thanks to Doug Kern at Mendocino Land Trust and all the partners, for completing this cutting edge project.”